stories by highrise

highrise
stories e.p.
(wallwork records, 2006)
www.myspace.com/highrisetheband

this is rather overdue. i meant to write this after watching highrise performed at unplucked: music stripped naked at earshot two saturdays ago but was too lazy. although, i wasted no time to listen to their stories e.p. upon reaching home after the gig. i just had to hear the songs again.

this, their first release, is a collection of gorgeous atmospheric songs that should appeal to fans of suede, u2, travis and keane. the band has a knack of crafting personal songs with catchy melodies and strong rhythms. my favourite song is rain — a sweet piano-led ballad that sounds like it could have been written in the 60's. it got me at the line "rak-a-tak-tak, as the thunder roars”, reminding me of the carpenters' yesterday once more and its sha-la-la-la and wo-o-wo-o.

as performers, they are sincere and down-to-earth. i thought they sounded even better ‘live’ at earshot, with a pared down semi-acoustic sound which befitted the intimate setting. besides the e.p. tracks, they also played the excellent unreleased seasons and covered pet shop boys’ you only tell me you love me when you’re drunk. the latter was a particularly heartfelt rendition of a poignant song, delivered via singer kok leong’s schoolboyish tenor.

highrise's songs have a decided potential for mass market appeal and i would not be surprised if a major label signed them on, like the recent emi-released albums of concave scream and astreal. this might not necessarily be a bad thing if their songs reached more people and they kept on making good music. my fingers are crossed.

p.s.: here is the lovely seasons performed by highrise at the arts house. http://localbarkid.com/music/highriseseasonslive.zip thanks to joe. many more valuable recordings of local performances can be found at his blog http://localbarkid.com

lost in the magic of kim tak building

kim tak building
in the forest and the field
(harbour records, 2006)
www.kimtak.hk

the girl sat under the tree and dreamed how the story began. in the dream, a bird flew over the forest and told the tree about the golden feather, “golden feather, golden feather, you are so beautiful, so beautiful! my dear friend, what is on your mind?” the tree did not reply. at that moment, the bird remembered that the tree could not remember. but what the bird did not know was that the tree had given all of what he had forgotten to the dream of the girl. at that time, the girl sat under the tree and dreamed how the story began.

so it reads, the loopy preamble found within the brown hardcover book containing kim tak building's debut album. the pages are missing but there is a cd that spins the story that the tree could not remember, the story that the girl dreamed. it begins with a deer furtively resting by the lake, a delicate duet between classical guitar and piano, as an electric storm approaches from afar. a picture of almost idyllic beauty, as two snails intertwined in love slowly danced across their leafy home climaxing in clash of cymbals and tambourines. something is stirring, there is an unknown savage beast carefully treading across the frozen lake. each of his step, like short sharp piano notes, pierces the quiet air before the storm. the bats are awakened, producing theremin sounds that bounce against the walls as they make their way out of the cave. only to discover that the darkened skies have deceived them that it is night. they thresh their wings in anger, making the sounds of screeching guitars. at this moment, in the rising winds, a single blade of golden feather, gleaming, floating, pointed to an axe hidden in the swamp. an axe to slain the savage beast, to end the furor of the electric storm. in the mist, a boat approaches...

listening to this impressive hong kong band recalls the childlike sweetness of múm and the tender abrasiveness of sigur rós. in the forest and the field, a sort of electroacoustic version of saint-saëns' carnival of the animals, magically situates the listener in cinematic fairy-tale soundscapes that are beautiful, beguiling and evocative. highly recommened to supplement your dreams.

ferns are green and good for you

ferns
fernsingle
(self-released cd-r, 2006)
www.myspace.com/fernfrens

i watched ferns performed "live" on monday at bar none and immediately snapped up this single. i didn't know it then but apparently, according to http://finishthealbum.blogspot.com, only 19 handmade copies were brought to the gig from malaysia. i hope they were all sold out because the single is brilliant. will kick myself if i did not own my own autographed handmade limited singapore edition of fernsingle.

after compulsively listening to them and only them for two consecutive days on repeat mode on the ipod, the ferns is definitely my favourite band of the universe now. sounding somewhat like a poppier version of fellow malaysian band furniture (my other favourite band of the universe...), the two songs on the single show great promise. disaster strikes again is an intricate little song that propels its sweet melody on mid-tempo drumbeats, before erupting in a midsection of hand claps and tambourine rings, that ends off in a sea of chiming guitar, electronic fuzz, and soft sighs and ahs. love in a handful of beans has singer warren's fey wispy voice amid an organic field of pulsing bass and swirling organ sounds.

offstage, the band seems like the songs they play, a mix of goodness, shyness, affability and intelligence. they have been working on their first full-length album for ages and it is scheduled for release this july. do not disappoint your fans. abby, dave, meng, boon and warren, please please please finish the album.

forever popgeeks

this is a blog for all things pop and all things that pop in our heads.